Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

1970 340 six pack vs.1969 dart swinger 340 all mopar guys lovin this should be the best final

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Kevin Helms vs Marion Stephenson in SS final.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

What a fantastic way to end it..Best of luck to both!!

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

So close to both classes being a heads-up final!
If Brianna would have won, it would have been a heads up in SS also.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Semi finals Stock, Super Stock and the Factory Stock Showdown. Lots of good racing, its hot its windy, but the racing is great. You guys are on top of it, so no need to give you the winners. They just called all the sportsman finalist to the lanes.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Heads up E/SA final! What a race!!! That's what it's all about! Congrats to both of those guys.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Thank you to all the reporters for the pics and action reports!

Thanks to NHRA for televising the finals!

And, way to go, Larry Gilley and Kevin Helms!

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Stock final all time classic!!! Wow!!

Big congrats to Team Southland & Kevin Helms & the Teutons!!

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

I 2cd that and that's a proper final for Indy. Wow!!!

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I want to give everyone who pitched in on this thread to bring us pictures and info over the past week its very highly appreciated by all Thank You !

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Well you guys know all the winners so I make it short and show you the winners. This will be my last report for a few days as I'm ready to hit the road. Congrats to all the winners, next live from will be from the D1 points meet at Englishtown this week.

I have to give a big thanks to NHRA for putting on a great show. I had my reservations with how the race started with stacking, but NHRA officials from tech to the parking crew and the media center made this the best race of the year for me and I am sure many others. This was the first race I was able to get media credentials. It made covering the race a joy. Thanks to Scott Smith from the media department for making it happen.

Thanks to everyone on Class Racer, with out you guys there is no Class Racer. I will have more photos of Indy as the days go on so check back.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Kenny,
Thanks for what you do, you're a class act.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

X2! Thank you all from the left coast.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Appreciate it Kenny, Mike D. and the always wonderful Patsy Hill....

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Thank you for the great coverage. Finally having a chance to check it all out after getting home. Was at Castrol Raceway for the Rocky Mountain nationals rain out date. Managed to break my transmission in qualifying. Pulled it out yesterday and tore it down. Terminal failure. Time to start prepping for next season.

Bruce Cameron
1968 Nova E/S

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

x2-what a great race and tremendous coverage from all of you!! THNAKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

"If I ever run the car again " ?

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Wow Mike, half full for Fuel cars, pretty sparse for Pro Stock's.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

My Thoughts exactly LOL

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Time to begin removing seats.

The images suffers, you know?

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Thanks to all for the pictures and info. Keeps a dreamer dreaming!

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Semi final shots.....

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Final shots in the the staging lanes. I will have more photos when we do the recap on Class Racer Magazine later in the week.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

I'd like to say thanks for all the pics and chat, great coverage from everyone. Just setting here thinking of how much money I'll have to spend in one year just to have a car at Indy. This would consist of the other races throughout the year just to accumulate "points", and not adding how much $$ in engine work to be competive. Has anyone ever added up what it takes just to get there? Sure would be interesting to know. What an experience to say "I raced at Indy"
Mike, c-dog

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

I bleed Ford blue and love the FSS cars but without a doubt my favorite car of the 2017 Nats is Steve Wann's '62 Plymouth. That car is bad ***** in so many ways!!

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Here you go.....

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Thanks!!

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" I raced @ Indy" 2000 with a 12 second fox mustang, taken off the street, had a 5.0 engine .030 over, Lunati stocker cam, $100 hypereutectic pistons, a Jerico and a 9' rear, with the 100% stock factory computer I could only get it to run .48 under, got into the 128 car field by winning class (I was the only car in O/S) beat the #2 qualifier in rd 1, and was rewarded with Kevin Helms in rd 2. I fouled against Kevin. I had a great time, my plan is to return to the 2018 US Nationals with a car I am building, the "eBay CJ" Mustang. I am keeping track of what my car will cost to build, with some of the divisional races being 2 for 1 , and national open races, it shouldn't be cost prohibitive to get enough grade points. I don't play golf,go fishing, or take big $$$ vacations.Indy is # 1 on my list

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Being "new" to this type of racing, I really need all the input I can get. Thanks.
Mike

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Love that car too. Brings back memories of my first driver in 1967, a 62 white Fury, red interior, 318 poly. The things I did in that car! T-boned a 59 Chevy wagon that ran a stop sign, which led to my 64 Savoy Max-wedge.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

I thought these was pretty cool photos. Bob Glidden sitting in Bill Hawk's Shelby, Bob and Bill go way back, I can only imagine the stories they talked about.

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

I, for one, would LOVE to see Bob Glidden driving that car!

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X2, one of my heroes, guarantee he still could!

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Some more photos
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psfbfpgcmp.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...pspyfcvdfc.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psttsbvafq.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psqtxpvnxy.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psfdsqlkpq.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...pslprrhvlc.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...pscszwflou.jpg

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

The Cook Brothers cooked breakfast courtesy of the Ronzello's. A big part of the Indy experience are things like this.


http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psr3pdxfbc.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...pstj0fuv26.jpg

The John force team equipment to measure and monitor the starting line.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psykyrqvse.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psh42xfeuc.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ps3ofqxjft.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psznjl0kbw.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psmngc0hyl.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psh5p6lmie.jpg

The Sunoco vision large screen TV next to the tower was really convenient to Watch the down track action and pick up all the numbers from the run.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psv966gllh.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psderhqebf.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...pscan45qx6.jpg

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

After waiting in line 2 or three days and then 3 to 4 more days at the track .............

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psg0m1z7zk.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...psm9yb0xdy.jpg

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Steve Polhill, on behalf of us few remaining fwd stocker racers, what you did this past weekend was nothing short of AWESOME!!!! Your worst rt was .035, and you went 5rnds in the big go too!!!! YOU ROCK MAN!!!!! Try as I might to become the first fwd racer since Mark Yacavonne to win Stock with a fwd car at a national event (and this century no less which would be a 1st), I think you're the one that's going to do it....keep it up bud!!!!

Moreover, not since Bill O'Connor back in the mid-90's has anyone won a divisional with a fwd car (and definitely not this century thus far), that's still out there too. If I can't be the one who does it, I sure hope you (or Stan Kopejtka), will be the one who does it! Or Bill as well if he gets his Omni going again???

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

No need to do that. Just replace Pro Stock with Factory Stock, return TF & FC to 1/4 mile, put nostalgia bodies on FC's, ban wheelie bars, let everyone stand on the starting line, and bring in Drag Radials, 10.5, No-Prep / No Time, Street Outlaws and Pinks. You know, classes that would finally make the US Nationals meaningful.:)

Re: "Live" from Indy US Nationals 2017
 

Hey everyone,

I wanted to post this last week, but with the back to back racing from Indy to Etown, I just did not have the time.

The photo below shows Dan Fletcher with Peter Clifford and Graham Light presenting Dan with the National Dragster cover of his 100th win signed by them. While that was pretty cool and a exclusive photo, the conversation with Graham Light was very enlightening on how NHRA views the sportsman racer.

It was a very positive conversation and it makes me feel pretty good about the future of our sport. When Dan introduced me to Graham I thought, wow this is not going to go good. After expressing my concerns about the stacking and parking issues at Indy on Class Racer, I was thinking that he may not want to talk much about it or to me.

I could have not been more wrong. He was very concerned about our issues after reading the posts on Class Racer. Yes, NHRA does listen to us, even though we may not think they care or read our posts. He was cordial and polite and eager to talk about our concerns.

He told me that they were prepared with extra staff on hand and instructed all staff to get us parked in a timely manner along with keeping the credential line moving fast, which is what happened. The entire NHRA staff did a great job in getting us parked and ready for racing the next day.

When I ask Graham why the change for Indy, he said it was to stream line and make it easier for the racer when attending these racers. They want to cut some of the time racers have to wait to get tech and credentials. If we can eliminate one day, we can save the racer and NHRA some of the cost. He feels if the racer can take one day less off of work and have one day less for the NHRA staff, it can reduce cost for both. He said financial reasons always come into play with these decisions, but he emphasized the sportsman racer is just as important as cost savings. I told him I can understand the reasoning behind this, but not for Indy. At Indy most racers take the whole week off. And many are racing the weekend before Indy. The extra day being parked on Monday gives all of us a chance to work on our cars. Hopefully this can be worked out for next year, they do listen.

I did not have time to ask him the dozens of questions that were in my head, but I came away having a better understanding. I was always taught not judge someone decisions unless you have walked in their shoes. I thought this years Indy was one of the best I have ever attended. Despite some of the negative posts, (I being one of them ) it turned out to be a great race. Tech was alive and well with many cars in the barn. The track was in very good shape with the amount of cars that went down, and most of all no major incidents or anyone getting hurt. I'm already looking forward to next year.

I never got a chance to talk to Peter Clifford as Evan Smith was talking to him about the Factory Stock Showdown cars. Evan did say he came out of the conversation with a positive outlook for the future of that class.